Dwayne Haskins' brief-yet-illustrious Ohio State career is over.
The quarterback announced Monday he intends to apply for entry into the 2019 NFL Draft.
Haskins finished as a distant third to Oklahoma's Kyler Murray and Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa in the Heisman Trophy voting, but had a fantastic first and only season as Ohio State's starter. The quarterback broke Drew Brees' Big Ten record for passing touchdowns in a season (39, achieved in 1998) early in a 62-39 win over rival Michigan and became just the sixth quarterback in FBS history to throw for 50 touchdown passes when he tossed five in the Big Ten Championship Game and three in the Rose Bowl. Ohio State won both contests.
Haskins leapt onto the scene as a surprise star, replacing graduate J.T. Barrett as Ohio State's starter in 2018 and lighting up the Big Ten in an unusually volatile season for the Buckeyes. He finished with 4,831 yards, 50 touchdowns and eight interceptions, serving as the engine of a high-flying Ohio State offense that finished second in total yards gained (7,498) and eighth in points per game (42.4).
As a redshirt sophomore, Haskins was expected to be a two-year starter at Ohio State entering the 2018 season. But he exceeded those expectations with his play, and it became clear in the final month of the season his draft stock would be too high to justify returning to Columbus for 2019. Former Georgia quarterback Justin Fields' decision to transfer to Ohio State, announced late last week, also likely helped expedite Haskins' exit for better opportunities.
Haskins boasts a big arm and pro-ready size, but he showed struggles in dealing with edge pressure and consistently hitting targets down field. He tightened up these issues late in the season as Ohio State hit its stride in its final three games, and with a quarterback class looking weaker than expected (thanks to Justin Herbert's decision to stay at Oregon), Haskins very well could be the first quarterback off the board in April.
